be wrote:

I have a hunch that as the average size of home (interior square
footage) has gone up (if this is true), I certianly have seen a trend
for less and less exterior space that come with these homes. The outdoor
yard space has been shrinking. There is an increasing trend for homes in
Multi-unit complexes (townhomes, condo's). And even for new detatched
houses, it appears that the average is for less and less outdoor space
as the indoor space increase. It appears that americans or american
homebuilders (on average) are sacrificing outdoor space for the indoor
space.

That is definitely true in my area. It is very easy to find a 2500 sq
ft home where you can stand between the houses and touch two houses at
the same time. In other parts of the country I have been in 7,000 sq ft
homes built in the last 5 years whose yards are smaller than my 1,700 sq
ft home built in the 70s.

Fashions and preferences change. I am not sure what is behind the
trend towards bigger interiors and smaller yards, but it is definitely
happeing. You could theorize that with TV, computers, etc. people spend
more and more time indoors and less outdoors, but I haven't seen any
hard numbers on that.

Andy